The main debate therefore is which two of Gouffran, Atsu and Ritchie should play today. All three of them arguably deserve a place but that is not going to happen.

Atsu was man of the match and match winner in Newcastle’s last game, Ritchie has been player of the season so far, whilst Gouffran has been reborn in this division and a key player.

If it was an away game then I might be tempted to pick Gouffran and one of the other two on the other side of the pitch but we aren’t away from home.

With the emphasis on United to break down Brentford I would be tempted to play both Ritchie and Atsu, with Gouffran making way. Maybe if you didn’t have an out and out defender like Paul Dummett at left-back it wouldn’t make so much difference but with a right-footed Gouffran in front of him who then tends to move inside, it makes Newcastle far too predictable going forward and reliant on the right hand side.

With Christian Atsu in front of Dummett, you could then simply have the Geordie defender giving the ball to the winger who can then use his pace to have a go at the right-back, without any expectation of support from Dummett.

After an hour or so you could always bring Gouffran on for a probably exhausted Atsu and give Newcastle a different look and other options.

I just think that rightly or wrongly, if Rafa doesn’t see two up front as an option, then at least at home he has to be looking at other options to get the opposition on the back foot.